Box 2.

Red and amber flags in mental health assessment1

Red flags may indicate suicide risk and their presence should prompt urgent specialist input:
  • Recent significant change in mental state or emergence of new symptoms

  • New thoughts or acts of violent self-harm

  • New or persistent expressions of incompetency as a mother or estrangement from the infant

Amber flags indicating risk for recurrence of major perinatal mental illness, particularly in early postpartum:
  • Previous history of psychosis gives a 25% chance of recurrence in a subsequent pregnancy7

  • Women with a family history of bipolar disorder or postpartum psychosis who themselves have mood disorder or change in mental state

  • Personal and family patterns of occurrence and re-occurrence can inform risk management strategies